Food rationing guidance memo

Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: January 12th, 1918.

The Ministry of Food has issued to all local Control Committees a memorandum for their guidance in schemes of rationing. The essential features of any radical scheme for preventing queues caused by difficulty in obtaining a particular foodstuff appear to be:

(a) That every customer should be registered with one shop for the purchase of that foodstuff, and not allowed to buy it elsewhere;

(b) That the shopkeeper should be required to divide his weekly supplies in fair propoertion among all the customers registered with him;

(c) The no shopkeeper should be allowed to register more customers than he can conveniently serve.

It is further important that the supplies of any particular article, from time to time available in a district, should be distributed among retailers in proportion to the number of customers registered with each (including institutions, caterers and manufacturers) and a limit fixed to the quantity which any particular class of customer may obtain.

  • About one o'clock this afternoon an alarming accident occurred at the corner of Dunstable Road and Dallow Road. A heavy motor waggon on which was fixed a big tank full of oil was being driven down Dunstable Road into Dallow Road when the greasy condition of the road caused the vehicle to skid. The result was that the driver lost control and the waggon crashed into a electrical box at the corner. completely smashing it off at the base. When the switch box was knocked down the flames from it danced about under the waggon and there seemed some danger of the oil in the tank being ignited. Fortunately this did not occur, neither was there any personal injury. The current was turned off at the Electricity Station.

  • A man named Fred Treeland, of New Town Street, Luton, was pulling on a loaded waggon at the Diamond Foundry this morning when one of the front wheels passed over and crushed his foot. Help was given at the works, and he was then taken to the Bute Hospital, where he now lies.

  • Mrs Odell, of 56 Highbury Road, Luton, is also in the Bute Hospital suffering from an injury to one of her fingers sustained while at work in the factory of Messrs C. Clay & Sons, Waldeck Road, Luton. She was taking a knife out of a punching machine which unexpectedly set in motion, with the result that the finger was badly cut.

  • At Luton Borough Court this morning, Walter Henderson, aged 23, a soldier in the Army Service Corps stationed at Luton and whose home is at Harrogate (Yorks), was charged with stealing three shillings in money plus clothing and food, value £1 13s 11d, from his billet at 37 Alma Street between December 22nd and 29th. He pleaded guilty and was sent to gaol for 14 days. Prisoner said he wanted to leave the Army, and the officer present thought the authorities would have no objection to that.

  • A fire occurred at the shop of Mr E. J. Brown, house furnisher, 26 Park Square, on Monday afternoon. It is supposed that the back-firing of a gas jet set fire to articles on the first floor. The Fire Brigade turned our with the motor engine and quickly put out the flames. Little damage was done.

  • We are pleased to learn that Second-Cpl Catherill, of the R.E. Signals, son of Mrs Eliza Catherill, of 119 Russell Street, Luton, has been mentioned in despatches. He won the DCM almost 12 months ago for gallantry in the field.

  • Remarkable stories of our flying men are told in a further list of Military Cross awards published last night. The following may be taken as an instance: Lieut Cuthbert Dorset Fellowes, in order to save an aeroplane which had fallen between our lines and those of the enemy, twice crawled over 300 yards of open ground in full view of the enemy, started up the engine and, lying flat on the ground, allowed the machine to pass over him. He then ran after it and gained the pilot's seat. The machine left the ground and, as all the controls had been shot away, he shut off the engine and drove it out of range of the enemy guns.

  • The squeezing out of Luton Town FC from competitive football has led to scratch matches of an unusual character, and the various works teams are challenging the premier club. So Vauxhall were the visitors today, and before a small crowd the Town won 8-0.